Obsession

of the bag.

Dark-haired little boy, shy smile. Lots of his mother in him; the only trace of Mario Fortuno, a slightly undersized chin.

“Handsome,” I said.

“And good. Inside-where it counts.”

A waitress came over. Barb Smith said, “The cod cakes are unbelievable, if you don’t mind fish. That’s what I’m having.”

“Sounds good.”

The waitress nodded approvingly and left.

“Not when you’re working,” said Barb Smith. “I respect that. My only job is taking care of Felipe and he’s in school until three.”

Meaning Oxnard was driving distance from home.

My Coke arrived. Barb Smith sipped her wine. “This isn’t the Zin, it’s a Cab-Merlot blend, like they do in France. Mario doesn’t like Merlot, calls it Cabernet for girls. I drink what I want-if I’d have hugged you when you walked in you’d have thought I was forward, right?”

“Hugs can be Hollywood handshakes,” I said.

She laughed. “I love you, baby, now change completely? Once upon a time I thought I wanted to be part of that. The reason I brought up hugging is it would’ve had nothing to do with friendliness. That’s how Mario taught me to check for wires.”

“Ah.”

“But the way you’re dressed-polo shirt and slacks-it would be pretty hard to conceal something. Unless you were up on the latest technology.”

“To me that means stereo.”

“Just a simple guy, huh? Somehow I doubt it, but I’m convinced you’re not wired. Why would you be, I called you. At Mario’s behest-that’s a good word, isn’t it? I work on my vocabulary, always trying to better myself. Felipe has a great vocabulary. Everyone tells me he’s gifted.”

She drank some more, glanced off to the side. “I didn’t want to do this but Mario-you’re probably wondering what I saw in him. Sometimes I wonder myself. But he is the father of my child and I do know he’s going through some incredibly rough times. Did you know he’s got a bad heart-two bypasses years ago but there was damage they couldn’t repair? That part never gets in the papers.”

The corners of her eyes moistened and she swiped them with her napkin.

“Oh, look at this,” she said. “I hate him and still I feel sorry for him.”

“They say he’s got charisma.”

“Are you interested in how I got involved with him? Or is that too egotistical of me?”

“Tell me,” I said.

“It all goes back to what I just told you before. Wanting to be part of the scene. I thought I was an actress, did some community college back in…majored in theater, everyone said I had talent. So I came out here, did a string of temp jobs while trying to break in. One of them was working for a caterer, doing high-end industry parties. I met Mario at one of those, he was the only person who bothered to look at me when I came by with the plate of curried shrimp. Terrible food, if I told you what went on behind the scenes, you’d never eat at an industry party again.”

“Again?” I smiled.

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m coming across so pretentioso. One of Mario’s made-up words. He despises the people who pay him…anyway, that’s where I met Mario and later, after the party, he took me out for drinks and drove me around in his Cadillac. I ended up telling him my life story-Mario has a talent for listening-and he told me what he did. He got a kick out of the fact that I had no idea who he was. I hear P.I., I’m figuring some small-time guy with an office over a Mexican restaurant, like on TV, I mean anyone can drive a Caddy, right? He never touched me, perfect gentleman, drove me home and asked me out again. Kind of nervous, like a teenage boy. Later, of course, I found out he’d been faking it, Mario can make you think whatever you want. He acts better than any of those stars he works for…anyway, he tells me he could use my talents, P.I.’s hire aspiring actors all the time, there’s lots of crossover. So I went to work for him. And he was right, acting skills are a big part of it.”

“Undercover work?” I said.

“I did some of that, but mostly it was pretending to be something I wasn’t. Going to a cocktail lounge and getting the target to flirt with me so Mario could take pictures. Process serving-it’s amazing how easy it is to gain entry into someone’s house or office when you lift the hemline of your skirt.”

She finished her wine. “I’m making myself sound like some kind of hooker, aren’t I?”

“More like a decoy.”

“Nice of you to say, but I was selling sex appeal. Not that I ever did anything sleazy, it was all false advertising. Meanwhile, I’m falling in love with Mario and he’s claiming to feel the same way.”

She shook her head. “Old enough to be my father and he’d been married four times before. File that under ‘What was I thinking?’ Meanwhile, I’m pregnant. Which turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. Felipe’s an angel, so sweet, couldn’t ask for a more perfect little boy.”

“Yet Mario’s concerned about him.”

“Mario thinks he’s gay.”

“Because he’s quiet,” I said.

She laughed. “Meaning Felipe doesn’t argue, doesn’t like to fight or play sports. He’s got his nose in books all the time, is kind of small for his age. My side of the family, my mom’s Chinese-oh, here’s our food.”

We ate in silence until she said, “Maybe Felipe is a bit overly gentle. Yes, he has a pretty face, when he was a baby everyone thought he was a girl. But does that make him gay?”

“Not at all.”

“Exactly, Dr. Delaware. That’s what I keep telling Mario but he kept wanting me to push Felipe into things he hates.”

“Sports?”

“Sports, karate.” She put down her fork. “I tell you, if he got involved in something rough and injured that cute little nose of his, I’d be shattered. I said so to Mario. He told me I was crazy, a few scars are what every guy needs-do you have scars, Dr. Delaware?”

I smiled.

She said, “Sorry, that was nosy. Mario has scars. Plenty of them, from when he was growing up in Chicago. To me, that is not masculine. Masculine is being secure and not having to prove yourself.”

“You’re not concerned about Felipe and you know him best.”

“Exactly.”

“But you’re here…”

“To fulfill my obligation to Mario. Kind of like a final kiss, you know? Because he’s going away-not to prison, not if he gives up what I think he’s going to give up. But when the you-know-what hits the fan, it’s going to be huge, Dr. Delaware. People you won’t believe are going to tumble.”

“The A list.”

“The A-plus list,” she said. “I’m talking red-carpet faces, people who run major studios, corporate emperors. Mario’s big thing was that he’d never tell. But with what they’ve got against him, his bad heart, most of his money gone, he’s going to spill everything. And then he’ll have to go somewhere and I won’t ever see him again and neither will Felipe. So I figured, why not be a good person. Even though I know Felipe’s not gay.”

“Do Mario and Felipe have a good relationship?”

“Mario didn’t spend much time with Felipe but Felipe likes him. And the funny thing is, with all Mario’s talk about getting Felipe into rough stuff, he was gentle with him. They’d play cards, just sit around. The truth is, Mario’s not much of an athlete himself-you met him, he’s a little guy.”

“Little guy with big-guy charisma.”

“Another Napoleon,” she said. “For some reason I fall for them. Maybe it’s because my father-that doesn’t matter, this isn’t about me, it’s about Felipe. Do you agree he’s okay?”